Classic Pattern Writer for ZX Spectrum (Terry Mason, 1986)

I'm not sure whether this fits here on a retro computing blog or over on my knitting blog! I notice that when I tried Knitwear Designer for BBC, I mostly put the computery parts here and the knitty parts over on my knitting blog.

At the Centre for Computing History last weekend I spotted a display of knitting software. Besides Knitwear Designer which I have, there were a number of other titles that I wasn't aware of.

Classic Pattern Writer for ZX Spectrum was easy to find, at least as an electronic copy archived online. The loading screen is at the top of the post. A nice colourful pattern fills the screen along with the bold claim "all classic styles". This claim is repeated on the intro screen:

You're guided through a few choices but it really comes down to two main styles, raglan or inset sleeves, with some variations such as V or round neck; long or short sleeves. This is pretty much in line with the BBC's Knitwear Designer. They both have a couple of basic patterns that you can customise with your own measurements. (Knitwear Designer also allows you to 'draw' pattern pieces freehand, but you're still limited to making sections of a standard jumper.) These days we sometimes call these 'pattern recipes' and they're often produced in the form of a spreadsheet.

With a few choices made, we get to the measurements. It asks for five measurements and then asks whether you're satisfied. (I guess a 'n' allows you to start over).

I like the way that this is set out. It generally feels more friendly than Knitwear Designer. But here's a big difference:

This software uses its own notation which is not standard at all although it is very intuitive. I guess even without this explanation screen I could easily decipher the resulting pattern.

Brevity is the theme here. This is the pattern itself and it has the bare minimum of information, which actually makes it very clear, as long as you're familiar with knitting this style of jumper. Knitwear Designer produced pages of detailed instructions in standard notation.

There's also a screen of text instructions for 'making up' or stitching the pattern pieces together (back, front, two arms) and adding some ribbing around the neck.

So unlike Knitwear Designer, all of the information can be read off the screen if you don't have a printer. It's easy to switch between the pattern screens.

I do have a printer and you can print each screen with the press of a key. This does look a little like a till-roll but I think this is pretty usable. Below is a photo and then a scan of the pattern. Feel free to use this pattern to knit a jumper, it should fit me perfectly.

Comments

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